The present invention relates to data processing systems for entering information into and accessing information from large structured databases and in particular to those systems which allow multiple independent users to enter information from nonuniformly formatted documents/files and to interact with the system to assure the accuracy of the database entries.
The use of databases for storing data records which can be readily searched is well known. A typical application of large structured databases would be a system for matching jobs and applicants. When used in conjunction with a search engine, a program that can search for matches between inquiry data and data stored within the database, such a system significantly reduces the manual efforts required to match the needs of employers (job providers) and applicants (job seekers). In order to enter applicant data into the database, source documents/files (typically, nonuniformly formatted resume) can be used. Since the format of text data contained within a resume is typically not standardized, text data extraction software is used to retrieve data for entry into the database. Typical of such data extraction software is that described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,164,899 and 5,197,004.